


In the pursuit of knowledge

by Adara_Rose



Series: Seashelly Fictober 2018 [14]
Category: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
Genre: Eventual Romance, First Kiss, For Science!, Kissing, M/M, Tentacles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-02 03:09:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16297073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adara_Rose/pseuds/Adara_Rose
Summary: Marine biologist Sheldon Oberon finds a creature he has never thought existed, and proceeds to teach said creature all about this strange thing called "kissing".





	In the pursuit of knowledge

Marine Biology wasn’t all that it was hyped up to be, Shelly Oberon thought crankily as he emptied the water out of his boot. Three days on this godforsaken boat — sorry, ship — and they hadn’t seen anything the least bit interesting that he hadn’t seen fifteen times before.

 

And they were supposed to be in the right waters. Something was out there, something that had baffled the fishermen that had reported it. 

But three days in, and they had not seen as much as a trace.

 

It was late at night, but for once he couldn’t sleep (he was usually a deep sleeper) so instead he was up on deck, alone, looking out over the waters. They had anchored on a reef that Captain Smolder insisted was the safest place in these waters, and everyone else was asleep. But Shelly stood on the deck, alone.

 

That’s when he saw the waters twist, and rise, and break. At first, he thought he had imagined it, but after adjusting his glasses he was sure. He had seen something in the water, something with spines.

 

He ran to the railing as fast as he could, leaning over it to see if that shape returned. It did, a dark shadow in dark waters only lit up by the moon. If he hadn’t been so focused, he’d have missed it. But there it was, and it was moving closer.

 

Shelly squinted at the water, trying to see the shape again. But the waters had stilled, no trace of anything in them, and he sighed in disappointment. He waited a bit more, then turned to go back to his bed to try to sleep.

 

“What are you looking at?” The question made him almost jump out of his skin, and he looked around frantically to see who had spoken. 

There was a man lounging at the deck. Except it wasn’t a man. The top of him was strong and lithe, firm stomach muscles and dark nipples begging for kisses (and Shelly was horrified that was what he was thinking), a long neck and a lovely face with big dark eyes.

But waist down…

Well, Shelly hadn’t seen that many tentacles on any living creature before. And he’d been in this field for twenty years.

“You didn’t answer my question” the man sounded put out, showing far too many sharp teeth.

“I… I think I was looking for you” Shelly stammered, his brain spinning.

“Well, that’s silly,” said the creature, “I’m here, not in the water.”

“How…” Shelly adjusted his glasses, “how do you speak my language?”

“There is little to do out here but eat. I like to learn new things.”

That was apparently the end of that line of questioning, as the man — no, creature — moved closer. He did so using his tentacles, undulating and slithering forward like a group of highly coordinated snakes.

 

Shelly stared in mute fascination as the creature moved closer until they were almost nose to nose. Then he — it was rude to think of the creature as it — rose on black tentacles to look him straight in the eye. His eyes were as dark as the ocean at night.

 

“I like to learn,” he said again, “do you think you could teach me a few things?”

“I… I might.” He squeaked, brain whirring. This was a scientific breakthrough that would stun the entire world if he could only document it… but those eyes were so dark, drawing him in, making him feel like he was drowning in them.

He wanted to keep this for himself.

“What do you want to know?” He asked when the seaman — if that was what he was — didn’t say anything else. There was another smile, and Shelly could clearly see the teeth.

“Why do humans press their lips together?”

Shelly blinked in surprise.    
“What?”

“I have seen sailors press their mouths together. They seem to enjoy it. Why do you do it?”

It took Shelly a moment to compute what the seaman was asking.

“Kissing” he managed, “they were kissing.”

“Kissing?” The man cocked his head to the side, considering. Then he loved, faster than a snake strikes, and pressed his lips to Shelly’s.

 

They stood frozen for a moment, then Shelly pulled back.

“What was that?” He squeaked.

“Kissing.” the seaman said in a completely logical voice. “I don’t understand why we didn’t enjoy it. Do you think we ought to try again?”

Shelly considered it. Then he considered it some more. Then he thought it was for science, and leaned in to kiss the seaman properly.

There was a whimper, but he wasn’t sure who had made it.

 

When he pulled back, licking his lips to check for blood, impossibly dark eyes were dilated and a sharp-toothed mouth hung open in surprise.

“Well?” Shelly asked in a hoarse tone, “did you enjoy it?”

There was a nod. Then the sea man’s face twisted in what could only be described as a smile.

“I enjoyed it very much.” He said, sounding pleased with himself. Then he slithered closer, crowding Shelly up against the railing.

“Do it again” he demanded eagerly. “I want to know more.”

 

Well, it was for science.


End file.
